Durrant Pate/Contributor
Jamaica and Greece have agreed to deepen cooperation in tourism development, with new opportunities on the horizon for Jamaican nationals through the reactivation of international scholarships by the Hellenic Republic.
This was among a number of key outcomes agreed upon during a courtesy call by Ambassador-designate of Greece to Jamaica, Efthymios Efthymiades, on Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, during Diplomatic Week 2026, which was celebrated last week.
Both parties agreed to pursue a Memorandum of Understanding focused on training, scholarships and workforce development, positioning the partnership as a model for knowledge exchange and capacity building.
Minister Bartlett expressed interest in establishing a satellite location of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre on the Greek island of Crete, citing the shared tourism dependency and vulnerability of both countries as a strong basis for collaboration.
The discussions further highlighted opportunities to strengthen air connectivity through Panama, with Jamaica increasing its weekly flights from 13 to 15, and to learn from Greece’s globally respected maritime tourism programme.
The Ambassador, who is resident in Panama, indicated that Greece will be recommending allocations for tourism-focused scholarships, opening new pathways for Jamaicans to build capacity in the global tourism industry.
For his part, Minister Bartlett welcomed the move, underscoring the importance of human capital development in an evolving tourism landscape.
He observed that 70% of the global tourism workforce is classified as low-skilled; as such, emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and nanotechnology, will significantly reshape employment, making training and upskilling critical.
Ambassador Efthymiades reaffirmed his commitment to building a results-oriented relationship, highlighting the strong international brand of Jamaica and the significant potential for cooperation in resilience, training and sustainable tourism development.
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